Dear Bureau Pat: I received the following e-mail from my boss which made me feel very uncomfortable. Am I just being overly sensitive?

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DEAR BUREAUPATNext
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Dear Bureau Pat: I received the following e-mail from my boss which made me feel very uncomfortable. Am I just being overly sensitive?

By Richard Hartman Nov 21 2007, 06:21 PM

From Supervisor:
Just wanted to wish each and everyone of you a very Happy Thanksgiving. Please take this time to think about all the wonders of the world and how you've had a hand in its development. If you know that you can do some things to better our world, take the time to plan your activities and may be influence others in making our workplace and environment a better place. I'm sure your efforts will please our forefathers who embarked on a journey long time ago to find a better way of life. Let's take care of our environment for those who will come after us.

Enjoy your families and friends and come back to us safe and sound and prepared to meet the mission. Thanks...XXXXX

Senior Leader Email Endorsement that Followed:

Well said - thank you XXXXX

The main problem I am having is that my "forefathers" came to this country by force and I don't feel it is appropriate to generalize thanksgiving the way she did.

Dear Reader,

While it is very common for supervisors and colleagues to wish each other well during the holidays, this e-mail appears to be over done and somewhat offensive, since many of our forefathers came to this county in forced servitude; they were not enjoying a thanksgiving meal. A simple be safe and Happy Thanksgiving is much more appropriate in any work setting, not a trite poorly written message. The endorsement by the supervisor sends a similar message, but more importantly demonstrates poor judgment.

I don't want to be the political correctness police, however, if the tone made you feel uncomfortable based on either race or creed you may want to report this to your supervisor. If the situation happens repeatedly, feel free to forward the e-mail to the Equal Employment Opportunity Office (EEO) for their opinion. They are trained to interpret and handle these matters sensitively and will advise your supervisor on the proper way to compose a holiday message in the future.

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Eliza
November 27, 2007 12:07 AM

Right on! and I would add to this response, that a boss should not see his or her position of authority as a platform to offer unwanted moral advice. I think it was no coincidence that the message included language that has very strong religious connotations such as 'wonders of the world' and 'mission' - I was expecting the concluding line to be an invitation to a church event.

Aaron
January 20, 2010 6:31 PM

I disagree, I believe forefathers was meant to mean those who came before us, the pilgrims if you will (think founding fathers).

While my family didn't come here in servitude, they came in the beginning of the 20th century, long after slavery was abolished.

Speaking to the pilgrims, they didn't bring slavery here, slavery happened AFTER the pilgrims time. I don't see what the problem is. While I have no relation to either the forefathers or the founding fathers, those terms are meant as founders and foundations on which this country was built.

Lastly as far as the "servitude" that the writers ancestors came here in, you could even say the pilgrims came here to escape a certain servitude, which they should celebrate. Remember, slaves consisted of more than just Black people and has existed (and still exists today) since before the Greeks.